Future Ragnarok: The Tragedy of Kaos Knight
by Adam W. Lancaster
Summary: A journey through the eyes of Kaos Tatsumaki Knight the Second, a vagrant AI living his life through Ragnarok Online. Slight Crossover between dot.Hack and Ragnarok Online. Now up to Chapter 7!
1. Prologue

(DISCLAIMER: Ok, I suppose I have to have one of these so none of you steal this from under my nose. All monsters and class types are owned by Gravity Inc., and the concept of Data as well as vagrant AI belong to Bandai (the ones who publish the dot.Hack series) as well as CyberConnect2, the developer. Kaos Tatsumaki Knight the Second, and all characters involved in the main plot all belong to me. Now that that's out of the way...)

Hello, and Good Day. This is a fanfic about Ragnarok Online pertaining to the life (and all the misfortunes that go with it) of Kaos Tatsumaki Knight the Second. Before I start, let me give you a glimpse into the world of Future Ragnarok...

-With the exception of those below level 40, the entire set of servers are now full PvP.

-Class skills are now in full effect and usable in towns (i.e.: Thieves can now steal from other players)

-New WoE Maps (Morroc, Juno, Einbroch, Amatsu, and Thanatos).

All of this was possible when Gravity Inc. agreed to work with the creators of dot.Hack, thus making the world of iRO even more immersive.

* * *

In the beginning, it was all just a game…but then it became something more, to all who were involved, and even those who weren't. I, of course, am referring to Ragnarok Online, one of the greatest online games in existence. At least…that is what it began as. In the months of the beta, a large number of reports were being sent to Gravity, the company that produced the game, saying that there was a hacker on the loose impersonating God-Poing, the head Game Master. When Gravity investigated, they found out the background information on the person behind the screen: he was a criminal that had recently escaped from the asylum and was now not only terrorizing Ragnarok, but the rest of the internet connected with it as well. As hard as God-Poing and her GM force tried, the imposter GOD-POING was obviously more powerful and was growing more powerful the more he hacked his way into the core system, until he reached the core program "Sirius" and claimed it as his own. Just then, the program started acting on it's own and transformed into a person…his name was Kaos Tatsumaki Knight the First, the older brother of God-Poing. Kaos was just as powerful as GOD-POING, so their battle went on for days without halt. On the 13th day, Kaos started to hack GOD-POING and steal his power for one final assault: the forbidden art of the Chaos Gate, a sealing spell that had different effects depending on the user of it. In this specific case, Kaos sealed GOD-POING in a hack-proof cage with no means of escaping, thereby ending the crisis known as the Beta Incident. In the months that followed, Kaos was regarded a hero, and was made an honorary GM for his skill and bravery. However, as time went on, Kaos grew more and more ominous, for he knew something bad was going to happen. So, under the presence of a malevolent wind and a blood red night, Kaos disappeared without leaving a trace…

Now, it has been almost 3 years since then. The old players have left because of real life issues, and the new players have all forgotten the myth of a legendary hero. All of these young, new, arrogant people are about to get a wakeup call from the last person anyone would expect….

"Where…am I…?"

He awoke to find himself in the midst of several Porings, one of which was licking his face. Quickly jumping up, he walked away from the strange scene with only one thing in mind…get back to Morroc. After all, it WAS his hometown, and he was in the middle of Prontera fields, so he had a long way to go. He tripped over a rock and almost hit the ground, but he lifted a finger and pushed himself up before he did so. His reflexes had caught the attention of the Thieves guild and they had hoped to recruit him, so that was another reason he had to go as quickly as possible in order to prevent any impression of him being unreliable…of course, this was before Kaos had to live up to his first name.


	2. Chapter 1: Black Days are Yet to Come

CHAPTER ONE: BLACK DAYS ARE YET TO COME… 

As a new sun rose on the city of Morroc, players from all over the world logged in for a new day of fun, drama, excitement, suspense, and the occasional romance…everyone that is, except for a young thief on the outskirts of town…his name is Kaos Knight.

"Ugh...no sleep in days…the desert sands are not that hot, but those Pickies…sigh…won't shut up," he said as he bit a piece of Picky leg off of his stolen china. He didn't have room to complain, considering he had been eating quite well living off the desert's many meats. However, he longed to go back into town for a quick peek at how the other players were doing. It was only recently that Kaos discovered, however quickly, that this was referred to as an MMORPG, and that cultures from all over the world interacted with each other here…except for him. He didn't know why, but the other "players" didn't want to associate with him. Was it the fact he was a thief? Was he a strange creature? All that he wanted to know was why, and yet it escaped him as he bit into the last piece of meat on the leg before deciding to take a stroll around Morroc.

"HA! I win again! This is the third time I've won, Thall. Keep up this bad betting and I'll get rich in no time!" shouted a green-haired swordsman. His sheath loosely buckled against his waist, and his sword being waved around in the air like a baton of power, made it seem as though he was either retarded or ecstatic. Kaos grew more interested in this event and did not pay attention to the young novice searching his belongings. The novice, as clumsy as most are, made a large ruckus that caught Kaos' attention, and he retributed the stupid novice by slapping him senseless, only to find out that he had gotten away with his fine china and Ragamuffin Manteau, which he had searched endlessly for. He sat down under the small tree which, as of less than five minutes ago, had shaded his possessions, when the swordsman from earlier approached him.

"Hey…little thief…need some money?" He flashed his wallet and showed Kaos 100,000 zennies, which for ANY thief would have been easy pickings right there…but Kaos did nothing, for he knew what was going to happen next. After all, it was this same swordsman for the past two days pulling the same lame trick that he seemed to think was amusing. And sure enough, Radian, the swordsman, pulled back his wallet and shouted in Kaos' face, "SIKE!" And of course, him and his little immature gang started giggling like Chinese schoolgirls in the middle of a bar. Kaos, once again, found no pleasure in his own misery, and finally decided to say something, when Radian interrupted him. "Look, punk, the last thing I need to see is you trying to say something about my entertainment. Because that is all you are: My amusement and fun until you bore me, and then I'll kill you and look for some other noob to make fun of. Got it, you weak little insignificant thief?" Oh, Kaos got it all right. He was only wanted here because of some childish game that everyone there was into all of a sudden. He had gotten it two days ago when Radian told him the same thing. So why did he keep coming back?

The reason for that was also on the tip of his tongue when Radian told him something else. "Oh, and one more thing…that novice that just robbed you? He's my little brother!" At this notion, him and everyone near him started rolling along the brick gravel dirt and tearing up in laughter. Kaos simply got up and tried to walk away when Radian got up and grabbed him by his collar. He pulled Kaos a couple of inches off the ground before saying anything. "You little worthless-how dare you try and leave your master here! Now grovel on your knees and beg for my forgiveness, you piece of dirt!" One of his companions, a merchant, told Radian, "Hey…there's a bad wind coming over this area…we might want to leave…" But Radian, as angry as he was now, rebutted this comment with a sorry, "Too bad. Because of this scumbag here, we'll be staying here." He dropped Kaos with a loud thump. Kaos thought to himself, "Why…do I put up with this obvious torture?" He got his answer when the ground started shaking and the ground started to crack. His back pockets started jingling…mainly because they were full of Baphomet Horns.

Unbeknownst to all, and even sometimes himself, he had excellent fighting skills, and he made a better warrior than he would ever be a thief. Also unbeknownst to everyone, he had enough power to take on a Baphomet by himself, which made it all the more imperative that he hide his uniqueness…until now. Out of the cracks in the foundation came a Baphomet, but its coat was pitch black, shining off the sunlight. His horns had been twisted into strange shapes, and his scythe was the rusted color of a blood red moon. Yes, Kaos had only fought one of these before, and he had barely escaped with his body, let alone his now stolen manteau. As the Baphomet took a huff of smoke, he raised his scythe into the air and brought it down upon several unsuspecting players. It only hit a few, but the impact was enough to blast away many players into buildings and carts. The scythe was now embedded in the gravel, and the Black Baphomet struggled to get it out, so Kaos now saw his chance to attack…but he saw Radian and his gang attempting to first, so he sat back and enjoyed the slaughter…of his gang. Radian cried out for help against this new terrifying foe, and even called out to young Kaos, but Kaos merely ignored his cries of torment, waiting for him to say the correct words…but he never said, "I'm sorry." So when he was killed, the Black Baphomet set his sights on Kaos. Now was a good time to attack.

Since no one was around to see it, Kaos pulled the damascus out of his side leg holder and quickly dodged the falling blade as it pierced itself into the ground once more. The Baphomet again struggled with getting it free, and Kaos jumped onto and ran up the scythe. By now, Radian and his gang had respawned and were watching as Kaos jumped into the air. His damascus glowed an enigmatic green light, and he shouted as he brought down his blade, "DATA CORRUPTION!" The blade, and Kaos, tore straight through the Baphomet as his shiny black coat was reduced to the brown it should have been. The body slowly dissipated, leaving only a jet-black horn with a malevolent glow. He quickly picked it up and shoved it into his back pocket, and tried to flee the scene as quickly as possible, but he was stopped by Radian.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? I never told you to kill the Baphomet or take his horn, you imbecile!" Radian raised his hand to slap Kaos across the face, but he had had enough. Kaos quickly shoved a foot between Radians' legs and raised him in the air with that one foot. He shot him into the air and when he was about to hit the ground, Kaos put all of his might into an axe-kick that completely warped Radians' face as it broke the ground under the impact of the kick. Kaos walked away, but before he reached the city gates, he heard the sound of many footsteps racing against a one-way conveyor belt chasing him. He turned around, soon wishing that he had not. Radian had gotten up, and he and his gang were chasing him. Kaos picked up the pace, not knowing where his feet and legs would take him next. He just hoped that it would not be here, where everyone despised him.


	3. Chapter 2: Corruption in the Sands

CHAPTER TWO: CORRUPTION SPREADS FASTER IN THE SANDS 

It had been three days since the events in Morroc, and the GM's were working hastily to fix the damage done by the Baphomet to the foundation of the city. Someone in a Ragamuffin Manteau was secretly watching over the progress of the reconstruction work, when a twitch in the back recesses of his mind forced him to disappear…

It had been three days since Kaos defeated Radian, and his gang was now looking for him along the arid desert sands. He had easily hidden from them for two days, but now they were searching around the clock, and he had been awake for almost a day straight. He was testy, tired, and particularly ticked when he heard their voices just over the dune he was behind. He dug a hole in the sand behind him, so when Radian jumped over the dune to look for him, he was able to escape to the next field unscathed. On the 18th field of Morrocs' desert, he saw that the sun was rising and the Hodes were waking up. It was almost funny how much experience he was able to gain from killing one of those things, but now was not the time to gloat. After all, he was on the run. He quickly climbed up into a tree and waited. When the pursuers spawned on that map, they split up and searched thoroughly for Kaos, but alas, their efforts failed miserably. Kaos heard Radian swear they would find him, but he merely smirked when he realized he was in plain sight and they still hadn't found him. He looked at the foliage of the tree and discovered his old wire and hook still there…this was a more amusing way to kill Hodes…fishing for them. He spotted a big one and threw his line out, hooking the fat worm right away. He pulled up and it hung from the tree, so he dropped down and cut straight through it. He felt himself level up, so he decided to do it again…

Catoken sat near a large tree in the 18th field of Morroc. His game kept escaping him, so he decided to take a breather before returning to his worm hunting…but he kept on being disturbed by the cries of Hodes from the nearby tree. What was going on that kept these things…he stopped thinking as he looked up from under his sakkat, and he saw the most peculiar thing: a thief backing away from a transforming Hode. The Hode, which used to be nothing more than a large worm, now was a Dark Illusion, one of the hardest miniboss monsters in the game, and it was about to kill this thief. Catoken, of course, wasn't much better off, considering once he was done with the thief, he would come directly for him, but what happened next surprised him even more.

"Why can't you freaks leave me alone?! DATA CORRUPTION!!!" The thief jumped into the air and his damascus started to shine with a strong green glow…then he brought his blade into the face of the Dark Illusion, making it dissipate until it was nothing more than digital ashes. He blew away the ashes away, and found a worm skin in them, as black as the horns he had been collecting. He quickly picked it up and shoved it in his back pocket, which now collapsed under the pressure and burst, letting the horns and the skin fall out. Catoken saw this, and he shouted without thinking, "HEY!" Kaos looked up and saw this swordsman running towards him. He automatically took a defensive stance, but it was unneeded, for he sensed a positive aura emanating from this person. Catoken took a breath and regained his composure before speaking, "Hi, my name is Catoken…you are?"

"Kaos…Kaos Knight. What do you require of me? Is there something you need?"

"No, just…I want you to join my guild," he spoke anxiously.

"Your guild? I didn't know we could make our own…" said Kaos with confusion. He knew that this was a game, but wasn't aware of the guild system in place.

"Yes, well, I have one, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us. We…I could use people like you…"he sighed. It was obvious that he was the only member of the guild and could use some friendly company…much like Kaos now. So without thinking about it himself, he decided to join…and thus, The Deadly Duo of Dragon Force was born.

"So…people like me? What do you mean?"

"You and I…are anomalies in the Ragnarok society," said Catoken. "Our programming is unique, and we have access to special powers because of it. Like you I have been rejected from society because of this…but I was lucky, compared to you." Kaos looked into his eyes. "I can see it…your soul. It is one of my abilities…your soul is troubled, not only because you are rejected, but also because…you don't…have a family? What does that mean?"

Kaos sulked and kicked some of the arid sand beneath his feet. He replied, "I have no recollection of my family or anyone I knew."

"You…aren't a regular player? Or a player at all?" Kaos looked up at Catoken with sadness in his eyes.

"I'm alone in this world because no one controls my actions. I am my own soul, and people are afraid of me because of it…" Kaos continued, "Do you know what it's like? Sleeping in the dunes of sand because you're too afraid to venture into the city, for people are trying to kill you all the time? Living off of Pickies and the occasional Vulture, only to find scraps of meat? I've only been able to remember these past few days of my life, and it's horrid…" He looked at Catoken again, and he looked inquisitive.

"Wow…never thought I'd meet someone as unlucky as you."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well, I recall one of the last updates to the Sirius project was the unification of Gravity Corp. with the company WORLD Corp…" Kaos didn't know why, but mention of the Sirius project seemed…familiar to him. "…Therefore, I suppose you would be considered a 'Vagrant AI' of sorts. But you are one of a kind, considering you have a human soul…and don't worry, I won't tell anyone about what happened here."

Kaos smiled for the first time in what seemed like days, and Catoken, obviously noting that the topic was over, switched to a lighter note.

"Well, I guess I better show you what I can do before we go about guild business…see that Hunter Fly? I'm going to kill it in one hit."

Kaos wondered what guild business was, but had found that this was more interesting at the time.

"Check for people. The last time I did this, I was almost reported…" Kaos checked around for players, as to which there were none.

"The area's clear…let's do it." Catoken unsheathed his sword and raised it high in the air, aiming it towards the Hunter Fly, which now had seen him, and was aiming to kill. Right before he bit Catoken however, he smashed the sword into the sands beneath him, and with a loud war cry, screamed, "DYNASTY FORCE!!!" A three-pronged wave of pure earthen energy erupted from the volatile dust and engulfed the pitiful fly, practically disintegrating it in a matter of seconds.

"Well, it's best that we get on our way…" As he and Kaos walked off, Catoken started to tell him about where they were going. "In the founding of this guild, I had essentially planned to fight in the war. However, because of my lack of members, I changed the plan for this guild. We will be a bounty-hunting guild, and when we make enough money and gain enough members, THEN we will change into a war guild…but I'll explain it in more detail later. There's been a bounty that I've had my eye on for a while now, and with your help, we just might make it work…we must go to the capital city of Prontera."


	4. Chapter 3: Anomaly Beginnings

CHAPTER 3: ANOMALY BEGINNINGS 

"Prontera? Why there?" Kaos inquisitively asked.

"This is the third time you've asked me…"

"And I still haven't gotten my answer…"

"Alright…" Catoken and Kaos were on their way to the capital city of Prontera, known for it's bustling streets, many goods, guilds, quests, and most unfortunately famous, the lag. Entering in the south gate was unwise if this was what you wanted to avoid, so the two went around the west entry gate. "We are going to go bounty hunting, but with your lack of patience, I'm starting to reconsider…" Kaos just sighed. Other than that one day outside of the south gate, he had never seen Prontera, let alone it's innards. "…Look at that board. It shows the two types of bounties that are available for taking. The left side shows the noobish ones, like a bothersome monster. The one we're taking is on the right side, the side with bounties even Game Masters need help with. There are two bounties on this side that are available, one of which is going to be easy if we use teamwork…"

Kaos had listened patiently, even while a random merchant shouted in his ear to buy his merchandise. "The bounty states that there is an anomaly terrorizing south Prontera fields. The reason the GM's haven't been able to defeat it is because it has infinite Health…which is where we come in…Kaos?"

"I get it…but I think we should try to get some more information out of the victims of this thing. Izlude?"

"Lets," Catoken assuredly replied. They walked back the way they came, and went around the two fields to Izlude, the port city.

As they walked onto the bridge, Kaos tripped, and hit his head on a wooden pole.

"Honestly, Kaos…I thought your reflexes were sharper than that."

"No," Kaos shivered. "I feel something…hundreds of people, dying…"

"Looks like another one of your powers has come alive. Where is it?" An announcement over the server soon answered that question.

"All players please log out. I repeat: all players log out immediately. An anomaly has been detected in the south Prontera fields. All players, please log out while the GM's handle this…" Catoken grinned.

"It's arrived. Now here's the plan. Although it has infinite HP, it's not invincible. We'll fight it for a bit until it gets cocky, and then use your Data Corruption to disable its infinite Health. When that happens, I'll annihilate it with Dynasty Force. Just in case it won't die the first time, we'll repeat those steps. Got it?"

Kaos, surprised yet anxious, replied with a hardy, "Yes, but I have one question…how did you know what Data Corruption does?"

"Easy…I read your mind. Now let's get going before the GM's show up, otherwise we'll be forced to log out…and I don't know what that does for you." Kaos and Catoken ran to the scene…

…When they arrived, they found a horrific place waiting for them. Trees on fire, bodies everywhere, and a little novice girl running from…an Angeling?

"Holy cow…we have to save that girl!" Kaos rushed over and kicked the Angeling away.

"Kaos, quick! Attack formation!" Catoken shouted. The Angeling got up and spoke.

"Heh…you are idiots. Do you know who I am? The Almighty POING-Jr.! The ultimate fighting machine! You jerks interrupted my fun…so I'll have to take care of you first!"

Kaos and Catoken stood their ground while the novice girl ran away, but not before telling Kaos that she won't forget this.

"DANGIT! My fun got away…now you'll definitely get what's coming to you!"

Kaos smirked. "Is talking all you freaks do? Show us some power to back up your words, shrimp." Almost as if he was a completely different person, Kaos charged at Junior, making him fluke an attack and miss. Kaos appeared behind Junior and stabbed him several times before jumping back. Catoken had pulled out his sword and was about to charge into the fight as well, until a loud tapping noise caught his attention. He looked up and saw a massive shield blocking log-ins, and there were several GM's unable to break it. He quickly formulated his new strategy and charged into the fight, while the GM's were unable to aid and merely watched on as they thought would be the end. Kaos dodged several attacks on his part, and ducked when Junior jumped for his face. Catoken ran over to Kaos just as Junior jumped again, off of a tree and back at them with increased power. They blocked, and Junior bounced back, only to charge at them again. Catoken took this opportunity to inform Kaos of his new strategy.

"Hey Kaos…" He ducked to avoid Junior.

"Hmm?"

"New plan…" He jumped one again to avoid an attack.

"What is it?" Kaos slapped Junior when he charged towards him, forcing him back.

"Look up…looks like the GM's like our fighting." Kaos looked up and saw several GM's trying to hack the shield that was blocking them access. He looked back at Catoken, who was repeatedly dodging all that Junior was trying to hit him with. "If we use either of our powers, I'll be banned for sure…and who knows what'll happen to you. We need a way to block their sight long enough so that we can take care of this thing…wait, what the…" Junior had moved away to the larger part of the field, and was charging up a huge white ball of light.

"You people refuse to go down easily! There is no player that can match the mighty might of me! ANGEL BLAST!" Junior shot the ball at an intense velocity towards the general area where Kaos and Catoken were standing. Dodging it easily, they were unfortunately blinded by the light, long enough for Junior to close the large distance between them. Luckily, Kaos regained his sight just before the impact, but did not have enough time to dodge the blow. He tried to block it, but his damascus gave in under the pressure and shattered into several pieces. The recoil, however, repelled Junior back…into Catoken, who suffered a direct hit. As Catoken regained his sight and composure, he moved quickly to a spot near the shield. Although he had been hit, it wasn't a grave wound, but he needed to be careful. Junior redirected another Angel Blast towards Catoken, who did Magnum Break at the last second and redirected the blast upwards towards the shield. Another blinding light flashed, except this time, the GM's were blinded.

"Now, Kaos!" Catoken yelled. Kaos was about to attack, but Junior charged and landed another direct hit on Catoken, knocking him unconscious.

"Your turn, thief-punk…" Junior turned around, but Kaos was no longer there. Junior looked up and saw Kaos coming down with his foot. Slamming Junior's face into the ground, Kaos vehemently shouted, "YOU PATHETIC LITTLE FREAK! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!!" Kaos landed without a sound and unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches until he yelled "DATA CORRUPTION!!!" and shot his palm straight into Junior. He grabbed Junior's heart and with a trail of lightning firing off of his arm, ripped it out and crushed it, grinding it until it was nothing more than fine digital shards. Junior popped and phased out of existence, and Kaos fell unconscious.

In his blacked-out state, he was dreaming of a pitch-black room with a chair next to a table. He didn't know why, but he had a sudden urge to sit at the table. So he supplemented himself and sat down at said table. All of a sudden, an ominous figure approached him out of the darkness, clad in a Ragamuffin Manteau. Kaos started to shiver as this figure spoke to him, "Kaos…new powe…ata Enlightenment…go and…" His voice was overpowered by a much louder voice shouting, "KAOS, WAKE UP!"

Kaos awoke, writhing in pain from the encounter. His duel with the blob left him battered, but still alive. Catoken was sitting by him under a palm tree in what looked like a desert field south of Prontera.

"Heh…sorry. This was as far as I could carry you before you started shaking and talking nonsense."

Kaos regained enough energy to reply with a weak, "What…did I say?"

"Something about Enlightenment and how you need to use it wisely…wait…did you have a vision?"

"Yes…and I think I have a new power as well…" Kaos sat up, brushing the desert sands against his hands. It was a feeling of relief and comfort, as well as a strange feeling of security. "Let's try this…" He sluggishly rest his hand on his aching chest, and calmly whispered, "…Data Enlightenment…" His entire body slowly rose off of the warm sands, and a strong wind blew into Kaos's face, cleansing him of all his wounds, and restoring his stamina to a new height. He landed on his feet, looked at his hands, and dusted himself, while Catoken watched in amazement. Kaos merely replied with a strong, "So, what's our plan now?"

Catoken stood up and paced under the tree. "After you fell unconscious, I woke up. Junior was reforming, but with only a little Health, so I took care of it with Dynasty Force. He dropped this…it would probably serve you better than me." Catoken rummaged through his sack and pulled out a shining white dagger with a sharp blade, a sword guard hilt, and an emblem in the shape of a KK crossing over on the end of it.

"What is this? I can feel power emanating from it and engulfing me in a wave of energy…"

Catoken smiled. "Just as I thought. I looked that up in the item dictionary that I carry on me, and it's one of the rarest items in the game. It's called Baldur's Blade, named after the Baldur sword that most of the GM's use. It is said to have been pulled from a root of the tree of life, Yggdrasill, it is a dagger that can transform into any weapon the wielder desires, and is only outmatched by the Baldur's Sword and Mystelltainn. Apparently, only those who have a history with the Game Masters can wield it…"

Kaos looked up from the blade, with a faint glint of wonder in his eyes. "A history with the GM's? I wonder…wait, then why can't you wield it?"

"I wondered about that too," said Catoken, "considering we both have a history with the GM's because of that fight not too long ago. But then I looked at the length of the blade. I gave that dagger to you because…" Kaos glanced at the blade again, and then became wide-eyed. "…It has your name written all over it." Sure enough, across the length of the blade was an engraved name: Kaos Tatsumaki Knight.

"What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but we need to move. Something doesn't feel right here…let's go back to Prontera."

Kaos shrugged. "I agree, although the GM's will be crawling all over the southern field."

"We'll warp via Izlude…" Kaos began to walk towards the not very distant city when Catoken told him, "By the way…thanks back there."

"No problem. I just hope this isn't the beginning of more anomalies like Junior…"


	5. Chapter 4: The Rules

CHAPTER FOUR: THE RULES OF THE GAME… 

It had been two days since the events at south Prontera, and the GM's had everything cleaned up nicely. Catoken and Kaos had sneaked their way back into Prontera to claim their bounty of 150,000 zeny apiece, which was more than enough for Kaos to stay at a hotel for two days. Today, the two were browsing through the marketplace made up of so many merchants in Prontera, until they came across a newsstand. Other than by word of mouth, the Midgard Times was the only way to access information about hot spots, good leveling places, and the latest in gossip. However, the front-page news stopped Catoken in his tracks: "Anomaly disappears from Bounty List." The article read, "The deadly anomaly, POING-Jr., was recently deleted and his bounty removed from the infamous right-side Bounty List. The GM's are investigating and refuse access to interviews. However, they informed us that they believe this to be the work of a benevolent hacker, one of which has not been seen since the days of the beta version…" Catoken put it back on the newsstand and caught up to Kaos, who had just bought a sakkat from a nearby vendor.

"What do you think? Suits me better than you, doesn't it?" Kaos grinned and they began walking again. They walked for a while until when in front of the church, they were greeted by a lovely voice.

"Why, hello there, you two. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Kaos looked at the girl. She was a female thief, with a ponytail in her hair, a bow at her waist, sunglasses on her forehead, and a strange looking book in her hand, with an issue of the Midgard Times hanging out of it. Catoken shrugged, obviously not recognizing the girl. Kaos on the other hand…

"Have we met somewhere before?" said both Kaos and Catoken. The thief nearly dropped her book and her mouth dropped open.

"You don't remember me? Well, I guess I'll have to refresh your memories…" She put down her book, moved over to Kaos, and whispered in his ear, "I won't forget this…" Kaos and Catoken, who also heard, jumped back about two feet, but both were so shocked that neither had the gall to speak. "That's right," she said as she grinned ear to ear. "I'm that little novice girl that you two saved a couple days ago. Do you remember now?"

Catoken and Kaos regained their composure long enough for Catoken to stutter, "Wait…did you see us…destroy that thing?" Kaos knew where he was going with this. If anyone else saw the battle two days ago, they had the power to get Catoken banned and Kaos…well, he still didn't know.

"Relax you two, I'm not going to report you. Rather…" She blushed, and muttered, "…I want to join your guild."

Kaos coughed, and told her, "Why do you want to join us? We aren't any different from other guilds…" Catoken smirked, as he realized Kaos was using reverse psychology to get answers from this girl.

"Other guilds won't accept me…mainly because I have 'qualities'…" She kicked the ground, silently signaling Kaos to reply with a, "What qualities might those be?"

"Follow me!" She grabbed both of their arms and dragged them behind the church with a waking trail of dust following them. She sat them down and crossed her arms, concentrating with all of her might. As if out of nowhere, two clones manifested and appeared beside her.

"What do you think? I don't know what to call it yet, but it's so cool, isn't it?

Catoken and Kaos both applauded, since it was as she had described it, 'cool,' and they whispered to each other silently, "We should invite her." They quickly rose off of the ground and asked her if she would join the guild, and she responded by jumping on Kaos gleefully. Kaos slowly got up from under the girl, while Catoken asked her name and what her title was, if she had one.

"My name is Gemini, the Drake Rogue. That title came off the top of my head, now that I'm in a guild called Dragon Force…"

"Cool. That reminds me…Kaos, neither of us have a title yet. Since you're my co-leader, your title doesn't have to involve a dragon, but it should have something referring to mythology in it. Mine's going to be 'Lord Bahamut.' So, how about yours?" Kaos blurted without thinking, "Phoenix of Creation." And thus, Kaos, Catoken, and Gemini became the Triple Threat of Dragon Force.

The benign aura of friendship did not last long, however. As the three walked away from the church, mysterious knights surrounded them. They were forced into a corner, at which time, the leader came through the crowd: a Game Master, known as…

"Faustus…never thought I'd have to see your ugly face again," Catoken spoke sternly. The GM walked over and punched Catoken in the gut, forcing him to the ground. Kaos was about to retaliate, but two nearby knights held him back. Catoken weakly muttered, "What do you and your dogs want now?" Faustus coldly stared at Kaos.

"I have reason to believe you two are the ones who caused that trouble at south Prontera two days ago…and you, Kaos Knight, are in violation of several rules of the game. You hacked into the mainframe system and tampered with the health settings of a monster. Also, I have a suspicion that no ordinary player could do this…tell me," Faustus trotted over to Kaos and slapped him square across his face, "does that hurt?" Kaos's neck cracked from the hit, but he came back up, breaking free of the knights' grip in the process. Catoken shouted, "KAOS, NO," but it was too late.

"Yes…IT DOES!" Kaos launched a fist directly at Faustus' face and sent him spiraling into the church wall. Faustus got up from the rubble, rubbing his cheek.

"Just as I thought! YOU'RE A VAGRANT!" The knights grabbed him and lifted him into the air, carrying him off to the castle with Faustus following them. Catoken got up and shouted, "Wait! What's going to happen to him?!"

Faustus turned around and smirked while still rubbing his cheek. "According to the rules, any Vagrant who messes with the mainframe, regardless of status or popularity, must be publicly executed within 24 hours." He then walked away. Catoken grabbed his things and started after them, saying, "We have to do something!"

Gemini stopped him with a, "Why are you so worried about Kaos?"

"It's not Kaos I'm worried about right now. Faustus is in danger…didn't you see him? That wasn't the same Kaos that I know…I sensed a large malevolent force growing inside of him. And his hair…" Gemini remembered what Kaos looked like before he was taken off. His hair had started turning black.


	6. Chapter 5: Kaos of the Soul

CHAPTER FIVE: WHAT KAOS LIES IN THE SOUL OF HIM… 

Author's Note: For those of you that don't know, Kaos (in the beginning) represents Yin and Yang…you're about to meet the yang.

Kaos awoke to find all manner of food and armor removed from his person. He looked down at himself, and was shocked to discover that he was in rags, his hands bound by chains, and a huge ball n' chain keeping him from moving where he knelt.

"Looks like the rat's finally awake. Too bad he won't be that way for long…" Kaos looked in the direction of the voice. Several knights were outside of his barred cell, all of them holding whips, with their cold, lifeless eyes peering down into what was left of his soul…they were too much like zombies.

"Our job here is to make sure that you are well prepared for your execution in half an hour…of course, that means making you wish you were dead." They all cackled with glee as two of them walked into the cell and proceeded to beating and whipping Kaos. Everywhere, he felt stinging pain, inside and outside of his body. His wounds opened wider with each strike, and a third knight came inside and dumped a large bag of salt all over Kaos' body. His pain grew worse, and at the peak of it's ferocity, the same knight that dumped the bag unsheathed his sword and slashed at Kaos' right eye. Another followed suit and slashed his left and crossed over his cheek with another slash. The final one slowly carved a double K over Kaos' chest, making sure to take his time. Kaos screamed in agony, but the only ones that heard him were his malevolent torturers themselves. Once again, they laughed until they heard a creaking sound. The bars on the cell were bending and breaking. The walls around them started to crack. This continued until one of the knights axe kicked Kaos in the back of his neck and he slumped to the ground, weeping for his own non-existent safety. One of the knights rose and said, "Do you feel any better? Do you now realize that you are nothing in this world? This virtual world, where only the strong, just, and righteous survive…you vagrants are nothing more than a waste of file space." Kaos stopped weeping and rose from the ground.

"J-just…and righteous? You…you knights are the typical, hypocritical people that, for some reason, society worships. All of you…all of you are worthless pieces of scum who don't realize how pathetic you really are. You all make a huge mistake for lumping all of us vagrants together into one discriminatory category, and then when one of us stands up for himself, you all go insane? Just and righteous my foot." However, his rebellious tone was soon quelled by another slap to the face, and he hit the damp cell floor with a loud thwack.

"How dare a little vagrant like you speak that way to me! I would kill you right now…you're just lucky that Subordinate Game Master Faustus is merciful. You two, keep watch while we go get the guillotine ready for this twerp's little head." Several of the guards left while two stayed behind and kept destroying Kaos' resolve for resistance. But something…something that had welled in Kaos for a long time began to bubble…

"Ok, here's the plan," spoke an anxious Catoken to Gemini. They were on a hill overlooking the bridge that leads up to the castle, which was guarded by a horde of guards that were apparently protecting the cleaning crew of the guillotine. "We're going to rescue Kaos. I'll take several guards out with Dynasty Force, and you use your clone to split up and search for Kaos. I have the map and layout of this entire castle, so Kaos should be in either the lowest level or the tallest tower. If all else fails, we'll…try again when he is pulled out for execution. Any questions?" Gemini looked him straight in the face.

"Yes…Kaos…isn't he a vagrant? Why are we rescuing him? You don't think they deserve to die?"

Catoken scowled at Gemini. "If that's your logic, then this conversation is over, and I'm banning you from the guild permanently."

"No, no, no, it's just…what do you think of vagrants?"

Catoken had to think about it for a second. "Well…I think the fact that most of them have rebelled against the players of Ragnarok for some time now is justifiable. To the players, all the vagrants have been useful for is for killing and dropping rare and valuable items. Vagrant AI's aren't bad, just…misunderstood. Why, Kaos is the first vagrant I've come across that doesn't hate me for being human, and I find that very admirable, which is why I have to save him. Now only because he is my co-leader, but because he's my first real friend…and besides, if the Administration finds out what he really is, there's no telling what could happen to him…"

"…What do you mean?"

"Gemini, surely you've sensed it by now…Kaos has a human soul. A real one. I don't know the details, but after the events at south Prontera a couple of days ago, I'm sure that he was once human and somehow got trapped in this game. His human soul is what makes him so powerful, forgiving…and dangerous…but we've done enough talking. If we don't do this quickly enough, Kaos is going to murder half of the army before I get in my first shot."

"What makes you say that?"

"A great evil was welling up and boiling over inside of him when he was captured. My guess is that the fact he has a human soul means that he has good and bad sides as well as a neutral one, giving fact to the respective roles of yin and yang that all humans have inside of them. Naturally, since he is in a game where the boundaries have been drawn apart, and in his case, destroyed, his hate and anger towards those that discriminate towards vagrants manifests itself in a physical form and becomes alive, at which point the entire server will feel the effects. This is a grave situation indeed…let's go."

"Right…" Gemini and Catoken jumped over the hill they were watching the bridge over, and charged into the crowd at a great speed. Shouts of, "Hey, who are you," and, "You're not supposed to be here," were soon outmoded by screams of plain terror when Catoken unleashed his first Dynasty Force. As he distracted the guards, Gemini snuck into the castle. The plan was working…so far. She quickly split into 3 and searched the castle up and down, finally concluding that Kaos had to be in the tower…

As the knight guards continued to pummel Kaos, they felt the ground beneath their feet start to crumble. Thinking that it was Kaos, they continued to beat him until the quake stopped. They, however, froze in their fun when Kaos knelt upwards. His hair had turned a pitch black, his eyes a bright yellow, and his facial scars that were once scabbed up were now bleeding again, mixed with a never ending stream of tears that fell to the ground without a sound following them. The double K on his chest was beating to the rhythm of Kaos' heart, which was the only noise that was heard throughout the entire prison hall. The beating grew louder and the knights, in their panic, left Kaos' bag open. The Balder Blade flew out and slashed Kaos' bonds, thereby ensuring the downfall of those pitiful souls. This new, deadly Kaos uttered words that shattered the bones of all who heard it.

"I'm…I'M FREE! FREE TO FINALLY ACCOMPLISH WHAT KAOS HAS BEEN SO AFRAID TO DO…" He quickly wrapped his hand around the hilt of the Balder Blade, which had now turned a crimson color and was dripping with blood. "But first…I must introduce myself to all those who oppose me, for their end is nigh. My name is Soul. The one you call Kaos Knight is now asleep and has given me total control over the body that should be rightfully mine. I have been watching…watching all of the events that have taken place here over the past few days. Kaos was brutally exiled from the virtual society, but he did nothing. Those who despise him hunted him down, and he still did nothing. I grew tired of watching him tear apart my precious body, and then all of this had to happen. I don't hate the poor kid…but I needed to stop him before he destroyed both of us. But enough of the formalities…the last thing going through your heads will be my blade." He struck down the first knight, but then made sure to take care of the second one slowly for that bag of salt earlier. "Sure, they'll just respawn later, but this urge to kill can only be quenched…" He turned around and the several guards that left came at him, "…by the blood of you pathetic souls who tortured me! Omnipresent power of infinite might…" He sped through the first knight with the blade.

"…Aid me in annihilating this endless blight…" The second knight dodged the blade, but was soon beaten by Soul's foot, which drove his head into the ground so hard and so ferociously fast that his head gave into the pressure and cracked open.

"…Let your iridescent shine forewarn this battle station…" The third knight stabbed Soul with a spear, but was soon pulled forward and beaten senselessly as Soul pulled out the spear and cracked it into two while the hole in his gut regenerated.

"…And let all of Rune-Midgard feel MY INDIGNATION!!!" The fourth knight tried to run away, but was soon fried by an extremely large beam of light that shone forth and shot out of the tower roof. This caught the sight of Catoken, who after taking care of the guards, shivered and hurried to the tower where Gemini had already found Kaos. He was unconscious on the ground, with the Balder Blade at his side. Several of the knights had already respawned, however, and quickly took Catoken and Gemini captive as well.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here…looks like we get the 3 for one special today, boys." Faustus had picked Kaos up off of the ground and carried him away, and Catoken and Gemini were too worn out to fight back. The three were carried into the plaza, where their fate…was all but foreseen.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the latest execution! Yes, I know you all have been waiting for a really long time…" Faustus made sure his executions were a public event and were always appreciated. "…As you all know, executions are rare, and the criminals' characters are deleted…permanently. Also, if you will have noticed, we have a special blade for the one in the center…that blade is for only one type of criminal: a vagrant." Immediately the crowd went into an uproar of which the likes has not been seen in years, which woke Kaos up from his unintentional slumber.

"Oh, Kaos, you're awake…knew I should have destroyed these when I had the chance, but nooo," Catoken mumbled from under the guillotine. There were three, and a silent Gemini was on the last one, with a look of sheer fearfulness in her facial features. The crowd was whipped into another uproar when Faustus announced that the vagrant in the center guillotine was the same that caused the monstrous events at south Prontera two days ago. At this same time, an enigmatic figure in a Ragamuffin proceeded quickly to the front of the volatile townspeople. It raised a hand in the same manner Faustus did to give the signal to drop the blades. The blades didn't move.

"What is the meaning of this? What is going on? What the…" He stopped when the figure jumped onto the platform in the center of town. "You! I don't know who you are but I'll have your head for this if you don't…" He stopped his sentence when the figure took off the hood on the manteau…and it was a female.

"Oh my god…it's…it's…" Catoken couldn't utter the words, for he couldn't believe what he saw.

"Who do you think you are barging in here? Why I should have God-Poing punish you myself…" Of course, when she took off the whole manteau, he stopped in his tracks.

"Have me punish myself? You must be out of your mind." She sauntered over to Faustus and flicked his nose. "Where is the evidence proving these 3 to be guilty?"

"Well…uh…we have n-…I mean, they were the only ones at the scene of the crime, so I assumed that…"

"Faustus. Let me tell you something…you DON'T assume ANYTHING in this field of work." God-Poing waved her hand and flicked her wrist. The guillotines dismantled immediately and Catoken yelled, "NOW!" Catoken ran through the crowd, and Kaos and Gemini followed suit.

"After them! Get them before they get away!" But Faustus was stopped by God-Poing, who had whispered in his ear, "It's a shame what happened to your guillotines…dismantled and all. I would hate to see your career as a Sub-GM end up the same way." Faustus tried to call off his knights, but they had already left the city limits chasing after the three. As Catoken, Kaos, and Gemini took a break several fields south of Prontera, Catoken spoke up.

"Alright…we're gonna need to find a new spot to form a guild base. The nearest city besides Izlude is…Payon. We'll work with what we have and travel there for now. Any objections?"

Gemini spoke up. "No, not really. Besides, I have some old business I need to take care of there." Kaos also had no objections, but realized that he was hungry and suggested that they take the short route in order to reach the city faster.

"No problem…but we'll need to be quick. I sense trouble brewing…let's move." Catoken moved over to the next map. Gemini almost followed, but Kaos held her back for a second.

"Gemini…why are we hated so much for something we didn't start?"

"I…don't know…wait, are you implying that I'm a…"

"Well, you just confirmed it, didn't you? You're a vagrant."

"I…no I'm not." She backed away a little.

"You still don't trust Catoken do you…which is why you haven't told us…" Kaos walked up to her and looked into her eyes. "Please…you'll be alright. Catoken is a nice person. You can trust him, and me. I trust him…and you..." Kaos walked past her, but not before whispering in her ear in a gentle, yet provocative tone, "…Even more so." Kaos walked silently into the next field, leaving a flabbergasted Gemini, flustered and at a loss for words.


	7. Chapter 6: Payon Awaits

CHAPTER SIX: PAYON AWAITS TO CHANGE THEIR FATES… 

As our three heroes walked cautiously through the gates of Payon, Catoken took notice of the guards checking tourists and adventurers for any signs of hackers or vagrants. However, they were doing a poor job at it, so the three made it past security without a hitch. Catoken and Kaos still had some money left over from Juniors' bounty, so while they went shopping, Catoken had left Gemini to her business…whatever it may be. She had walked deep into the forest in the archer village, and had stopped at a tree with hundreds of little cuts engraved in the bark, obviously made with an inhumanly sharp dagger. A rustling in the bushes adjacent to the tree caught Gemini's attention, and out of the foliage came an abrupt sight: a stocky little man in a tuxedo wearing a bongun hat and wielding a cane of thrifty proportions, a rather uncommon thing to see in this region.

"I trust that you have succeeded in locating the 'problem', Gemini?" The short stump of a man voiced in an utterly disgusting tone that enforced the listener to turn and scream at the sight of the ungodly bones in his mouth, his prune-esque tongue drooling corrosive acidic bile with every foul calamity that managed to survive and escape his malevolent maw, and his blood-seeped eyes, with the lids slowly drooping over one eye and the other pulling back so far that it threatened to shoot the eye out at her. Although this dreadful sight would make any mortal's head implode from the sheer volatile-inducing, bowel-scrapping, soul-rending, appendix-terrorizing visage, his tuxedo was prim and clean, plucked free of all lint and leaves from him hiding in the bushes, and any twigs near his feet were instantly set on fire and burned to ashes the moment he stepped out. This man truly was the worst kind of monster in existence…a corporate one.

"Yes…I have found the 'issue.' What are my orders now?"

"Go…continue to journey with them. Use the experience and skills that you will learn to wipe out all opponents. When you change into the next class, and are more powerful, come to my base…your final mission will be told to you then. Then, and only then, will your debt be paid…and our client will get his wish."

"Yes…boss."

"Oh…one more thing…" The little man waddled over to Gemini and whispered something in her ear, then walked away as though nothing had been said, disappearing into the thick undergrowth. His words, however, had left Gemini throttled to the ground, sobbing and weeping. This caught the attention of a nearby spy behind her, who had followed her from the entrance, and had caught every word, with the exception of what had just been whispered.

"Something's not right here…I've seen that man before…" Catoken told himself from behind the underbrush. He had left Kaos in the marketplace in order to find out what kind of "business" Gemini was up to, and just as he hadn't hoped, it was shady. He quickly tried to move so Gemini wouldn't hear him, but he tripped over a root and was quickly grounded when a flustered Gemini rose and slowly walked over to him. She squatted in front of him with an inquisitive look in her pupils.

"So…I guess a little explaining is in order," she said.

"That would be nice."

"Well…"

"'EY! GET BACK HERE WITH MEH SCHTUFF!!!" A cry went out in the streets of Payon as Kaos dashed away from the merchant cart that once held a rare Midnight Ragamuffin Manteau, a one of a kind Loki Bracer, and over 500,000 zeny. He might as well have taken the whole cart, but the merchant deserved it for what he was charging for arrows. He hid behind a tree on the path to the Archer Village, and as soon as his pursuers had left, he noticed Catoken and Gemini walking towards him.

"Hey you two, what's up?" Kaos wholeheartedly asked. Apparently, his recent escapade was making him feel giddy and naturally, he grinned ecstatically when Catoken noticed his plunder.

"I should be asking you that, you little scoundrel...anyway, while you were off gallivanting, I thought that we should take a gander inside of Payon Cave. I hear that some people have reported something killing off players whenever they get inside of the cave, and that can only mean two things: PKers, or an anomaly. Hopefully for us, it might be the latter. Anyway…" Catoken motioned for Kaos and Gemini to follow him. They were on the way to the village when Gemini stopped and stared at the grove of trees leading to the forest, catching Kaos' attention.

"What's the matter, Gemini?" Gemini just depressingly glanced into Kaos' eyes, and kept walking towards the village. "Was it something…I said?"

Shortly after, they arrived in the village just in time to see a young acolyte knocked headfirst into the dirt…after being shot out of the cave. The acolyte pushed himself out from under the dirt, screaming, "IT'S THEM!!! THE PKERS ARE IN THERE!!!"

"Oh boy…" Catoken shivered at the thought. PKers were the most annoying things to find in a usually safe haven, mainly because "disturbing the peace" wasn't an offense to the GM's, but it was to the people. Furthermore, PKers often abused little leveling areas like the first floor of Payon cave because of the large population of people that _tried _to have peace. For those below level 40, it was quite easy to level there, because you couldn't be PKed, but for those above level 40…well, it was quite easy to die. Formerly, the GM's created PvP arenas for the sole purpose of fighting one another, but the people demanded a full-scale PvP server, and so, Chaos became just that.

Some of the people became mercenaries because of the new system and were able to earn cash from people for killing other people. Sure, the best PKers were in fact the nicest people on the server and only killed if it was the only choice, but as for mercenaries…there was a three-man team that was the most infamous. Two of them hailed from the Chaos server, but the third came from Sakray, the test server. Big Pimo, the crusader, was the self-proclaimed leader and was also the lowest level. The only reason the other two didn't overthrow him was that he had connections (legal or otherwise) to the GM's. The second, Raeoki, was from Sakray, and was a knight who was easily quick to anger, even clouding his sense of honor. The third, and most powerful, was a wizard named Skye, and even though he never fully intended to become a mercenary, he needed the money for a project of his. Skye was also level 97, compared to Raeoki's level 75 and Big Pimo's level 59, meaning if he could, he would be able to eliminate both in an instant, and made this fact quite clear whenever Pimo got on his nerves, which is a bad thing to do to any wizard of any sort.

These three took on the mercenary world by storm with their powers and balance of speed, power, and intellect (Pimo being the power), and they eventually made a name for themselves rather quickly. They had recently gotten involved with the "Blacklist", or the "secret" bounty list that was somewhere in the game, and acquired limitless wealth to enhance their already powerful weapons. This back-story led many to believe they were hackers or cheaters of the game. The three made a public announcement to the Midgard Times saying, "we're just too damn good." This went strictly against Catoken's policy of "humble is best," so he naturally hated them.

"PKers? I…never had to fight someone so experienced…" sighed Kaos when Catoken was finished explaining the back-story.

"Well…if all three of us can get past them, then I guess it'll be alright. However…all of us are above level 40. We have to be extra careful. We don't know if our bounty has been canceled by God-Poing yet." Gemini took out her bow.

"Well, let's get to hunting. If there is an anomaly in there…we need to kill it, before anyone else gets hurt; PKer or otherwise." The three walked into Payon Cave, at the bewilderment of the usual crowd of people that huddled outside of the cave to commune with one another. While Kaos, Catoken, and Gemini strolled through the cave at a snails pace, Gemini slowly dragged Kaos away far enough so that she could talk to him in a sense of privacy.

"What is it, Gemini?"

"You need to hear about me. About my past."

"…Go on."

"Well…when I was born, my parents were killed. I wandered the streets for a long time, and eventually became a pickpocket. My 'talents' were noticed when I tried to rob a guy in a fancy suit. His name was Sinezter M. Gambalot, an infamous mafia head who was known for his brutality towards players who hated vagrants, as well as his gambling problem. He trained me in the ancient arts of thievery, arts that were long ago banned by the GM's. Soon after, I became…a spy in his name. With my natural abilities combined with the ninja arts he taught me, I was able to easily infiltrate the most protected of fortresses, and steal the most precious of gems, all the while increasing his power and throwing myself away. This was all I saw in life…until that day."

Kaos looked puzzled for a moment, as if all of this wasn't enough for his mind to bear. "What day was that…?"

"…That day at South Prontera. The day I met you. Heh…as if this isn't enough for your mind to bear already, but…Poing-Jr. was meant to be a trap for you."

Kaos jumped back a couple of feet. Trap? Hell no.

"Yes, a trap. Boss Gambalot has been…iffy lately, to say the least. The clients he's working with are powerful and evil. I've never met them, as Gambalot says it's for the best. My only wish now…is to earn my freedom back by going on this quest with you guys. At first, it was just a job, but…"

"But what?"

"Nothing…it's nothing. We better keep moving." For the rest of the walk, Kaos felt an unease rising in the pit of his stomach. What was going on with Gemini? Why was Catoken so distressed? And what was that voice going on and on in the back of his mind, telling him to prepare himself for the inevitable? All of this was shut up the moment that the three walked right into a battlefield. Thousands of players, dead on the floor, and the causes were obvious. The three mercenaries, Big Pimo, Raeoki, and Skye were standing over a player they just killed. Catoken and Gemini were almost about to turn around and make a break for it when Big Pimo turned around.

"Well…what have we here?"


	8. Chapter 7: The Growth of a Warrior

_**CHAPTER SEVEN: THE GROWTH OF A WARRIOR **_

"Seems to be a trio of noobs thinking to pass."

"Well, then…this is no surprise."

Kaos was, in fact, surprised, probably because he was expecting more of a fight. Big Pimo wasn't all that intimidating, Raeoki was probably just looking for a fight and Skye…well, he was an enigma. Catoken and Gemini prepared themselves for a confrontation, when the cave collapsed behind them, leaving no escape. Gemini seemed nervous as memories of the attack on Southern Prontera rushed through her mind, convincing her that this fight was not one that they could win. Catoken himself was nervous, but he was thinking about how they could win against these upper classes. All three of them started stepping back until Gemini hit the wall, forcing her to regain her senses and concentration. However, it was unfortunate that The Three Hunters made the first move. Skye approached the trio quickly and started his incantation. By the time he finished, only Kaos had moved out of the way.

"LORD OF VERMILLION!"

Both Gemini and Catoken were caught in a flurry of lightning strikes beyond a counting number. In the end of it, both of them fell unconscious. Kaos struggled to get off of the ground, for he didn't escape the full fire of the spell. Rising slowly up from the ground coated with the cave floor dust, he picked up his sakkat and manteau, throwing them to the side. He didn't need any disgusting blood on either of those precious items. This would be fun.

"Well, looks like the little thief wants to play. Well then…" Big Pimo raised a hand to signal to Raeoki, who suddenly charged on his Peco Peco at light-speeds towards Kaos. His spear gleaming in the dim cave light, he was confident that he would not miss his target. This smug grin on his face soon turned to misery, as he realized that he had missed Kaos's head AND shoveled his spear a foot deep into the wall behind him. Quickly regaining his birds' footing, he yanked the spear out of the bedrock, and found himself trying to recuperate by continuously aiming at Kaos, to no avail. After a few more seconds of dodging the spear stabs, Kaos grabbed the spear and broke the steel tip, while in one swift move, roundhouse kicked the Peco under its' beak, sending both the avian victim and its' rider flying through the air. He then did a 180 degree turn and threw the spear point with a monstrous force at the midair bird, leaving nothing but a strewn path of bloody feathers. Raeoki hit the ground with a crash, throwing his now-broken spear aside and unsheathing a giant Broad Sword with the Initials "RK" roughly etched into the surface, like a child had drawn it with a sharp stick.

"TWO HAND QUICKEN!" Glowing with a golden light, Raeokis' speed was incredibly focused and heightened.

"BALDER BLADE: ITORYUU FORMATION!" The Balder Blade glowed with a white-hot intensity as it morphed, changing from a dagger to a sword in a matter of seconds.

Raeoki charged once again, this time slower, but with such force that the very walls and earth of the cave shook with the intensity of a hurricane. Slashing and cleaving, he attacked Kaos in a frantic manner, swinging his sword with the skill of a madman. He looked it too, with his eyes suddenly uneven and his hair an unruly wildfire of entanglements. The swings of his blade were so powerful the backlash from them created waves of sizzling, volatile wind, which melted the poor stones that had built up the cavern walls. Kaos, unfazed, kept his cool and guarded against the slicing blade with little difficulty, for the Balder Blade had no equal. Raeoki felt that he was going to lose, so he put all of his might into the final strikes, all of which were blocked. The last swing of the blade was repelled, and Kaos then took it upon himself to break the Broad Sword in one swing. After this, he quickly spun out into a 360, slashing an open wound directly through Raeoki's right eye. Raeoki jumped back about 5 feet before sliding to a halt on the cool, crisp cave floor. He calmed down, and looked at the remains of the Broad Sword that he had shared his entire life with. He then looked at Kaos, who hadn't even broken a sweat. He then put away the childhood relic and grinned with joy.

"I've finally met my match, and he turns out to be a kid. How fitting an end for me." Raeoki then pulled out a tablet and broke it. "Time to go back to Sakray…I can't wait for my friends to hear about this incident. Don't forget me, Kaos…" A portal opened up and he left with a single drop of blood hitting the ground before he disappeared.

"What the hell just happened?!" Big Pimo screamed. He had missed half of the fight because he was so confident in Raeoki's ability to destroy this thief. It was as though the gods themselves were against him now, as his luck and fortune started to seem useless here. "Skye, go get this freak and destroy him!"

"Looks like I won't need to do anything."

"Why is that?"

"He's coming for me." Skye then perked up a bit as Kaos rushed towards his sakkat, equipping it for the real fight just ahead.

"BALDER BLADE: KODACHI FORMATION!" The blade reverted to its original size and weight, making it much easier for Kaos to maneuver around in the already limited space. Luckily for him, the fight with Raeoki earlier cleared up some of the tight corners and rough spots, making the former clustered cave a suitable battleground for his type. Skye slowly started to draw his staff. It was obvious he was the strongest of the three, for he had full confidence in his eyes that he would not lose any of his blood. But there was something else that Kaos was confused about. The air around Skye signaled to him that he didn't wish to fight, but was merely testing Kaos to…be worthy? At this point it didn't matter, because Kaos stole off head on against this foe. Skye didn't bother with any spells, but when Kaos swung at his feet, he raised his staff to block it. The resulting force rang throughout the cave, echoing into the very soul of the thief. What was this staff to block the Balder Blade? And who was this man to possess such a power? He forgot about it for a moment and continued his assault, as a flurry of stabs and swings flew from the blade, only to be blocked and repelled by the staff. Skye, obviously unfaltering, kept up his defense, until Kaos showed a weak spot, which he exploited to the greatest of his ability.

"Napalm Blast!" The blast sent Kaos backwards into the walls, but he quickly recovered. This would not last long, however. "Frost Diver!" Skye shoved the bottom of his staff into the ground, which shook for a while before spires of ice protruded upward. These spires flew towards Kaos with great intensity, each spire slightly larger than the one before it. Kaos attempted to dodge to no avail, and his foot was immediately frozen to the ground upon contact with one of spires. Skye lifted his staff into the air. The staff head immediately started to spark and light up. He had begun an ancient incantation…"Vis Vires de caelum supernus, defaeco hic phasma phasmatis! JUPITEL THUNDER!!!" The sparks surrounding the top half of the staff started to spin in a counterclockwise formation, howling at the slightest movement. Directing the staff at Kaos, Skye fired off a level 10 Jupitel Thunder, and it would have killed him…

Kaos saw the lightning coming. When he saw the lightning coming, time seemed to come to a screeching halt and started up again at a snaillike pace. His senses suddenly intensified, and his speed warped the rocks beneath him, releasing him from his frozen prison. As he dodged the lightning, it seemed as though he was teleporting. He disappeared into the ceiling and came down, vertically spinning into an axe kick…right into Skye's head. Skye slowly looked up at the foot about to be engraved into his face and smiled briefly before hitting the floor with a loud thwack. Smoke clouded the vision of Pimo, who once again had missed everything. Skye rose from the smog without a scratch on him, and turned to Kaos.

"It seems I misjudged you on first sight. I'd like to talk with you some time in the future, if you'll have me." He also disappeared by using a Butterfly Wing to warp back to his hometown. Pimo was frightened beyond imagination. But then thoughts of glory came back into his head and his false ideals convinced him to fight as well. Charging directly at Kaos, he went into a lunge maneuver but was quickly repelled and sent into one of the few remaining walls. He used his shield to break his landing a bit, then turned around and started to charge again, using his superior strength to break through the repel. Kaos tried to block the sword again, but when he did, Pimo hit him in the gut with his shield, making him hit the ground softly. Pimo wasn't fighting to have fun; he was fighting to win.

"Heh…fly your way around this one, shrimp!" He stabbed his sword into the ground inches away from Kaos's face. "GRAND CROSS!" The earth glowed as the silhouette of a cross rose beneath Kaos's body. The air pressure grew higher, and the holy magics of the Crusader order formed particles which floated in the air, brightly shining, as though they were there to mock the presence of evil. The particles suddenly went into a state of instability, taking on the shape of little needles of death. They then proceeded to stab Kaos in random places, while the cross on the ground below heated up to unspeakable levels, nearly frying his knees and torso. As he screamed in torment, Pimo cackled with glee. "What now, little boy?!"

"What now? Now I end you." Kaos looked up disturbingly from the ground, as his hair turned space black and his eyes a shining yellow tint. Soul had awakened again. The sakkat that Kaos had been wearing was thrown up into the air, disappearing into the darkness of the ceiling above. The Grand Cross was immediately canceled as though it had never been cast. "BALDER BLADE: NITORYUU KODACHI FORMATION!" Soul grabbed the Balder Blade as it morphed into two daggers and immediately started his assault.

"Wh-what's going on?!"

"TATSUMAKIRI!!!" Soul erupted into a whirlwind, soaring straight at Pimo with all of his might. The vortex vacuum was literally ripping Pimo apart at the joints, but it wasn't over. "ONIKITZEN KU-JI-IN!!!" The final strike was a thousand slashes all at once in a circular fashion that broke Pimo's shield and ensured Soul's victory. As Pimo fell to the ground, the sakkat fell from the ceiling and over Soul's face. When he lifted the hat, his hair was once again white, his eyes a sky blue, as though Kaos had let Soul take over on purpose. Pimo was barely clinging onto life, when he got up and cried out with a yelp.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, YOU BRAT! I'LL REMEMBER THIS!"

"Yeah, well I hope you remember to get some skills while you're at it, chump." Pimo then used a Butterfly wing and went back to Geffen. Kaos hurriedly rushed over to Catoken and Gemini, who were just now regaining consciousness.


End file.
